Night Visitor
by Mulderette
Summary: Sully pays a late night visit to Bosco. Post-fic to the episode “Sins of the Father.” Contains spoilers for Season SixSins of the Father.


Sully stopped in his tracks and hesitated just outside the hospital room door. He really wasn't sure why he had come here and now that he was here, it seemed like a pretty bad idea. Still though, he was here now. He decided he needed to at least go in for a few minutes. It was the right thing to do. He quietly stepped inside the doorway and slowly walked over to his bedside.

"Hey." He was a little unnerved to see Bosco looking up at him. It was late. He had thought he'd be asleep. "I had to bribe a nurse with some donuts so she'd let me in here," Sully joked, but then grew serious. "I...it's good to see you with your eyes open again...how you doing, Bosco?"

Bosco took a few moments to respond. It was so hard for him to speak. Every word, every syllable was an effort. "Okay," he finally managed to say. He was a little confused to see Sully, but he wasn't about to question it. The minutes and hours passed so slowly here. Every visitor was a welcome one to him. His mother and Faith had told him how many people had come to see him before he had awoken from his coma, and he knew Sully had been one of them. Even so, to see him here, especially at this late hour, he was the last person Bosco would have expected to see.

Sully nodded, not really sure what to do or say. His eyes rested on the chair next to Bosco's bed and he decided to sit. "I'm glad you're doing better, Bosco," he stated gruffly. "We...I...everyone's been really worried about you."

Bosco gave a slight nod, his eyes fixed on Sully's face. It was very obvious that something was going on with him, but he had no idea what it could be. Faith hadn't mentioned anything. Then a thought occurred to him. Had something happened to Davis? That could certainly account for this unexpected late night visit. "D...Davis?" he whispered.

Sully looked back at Bosco, perplexed for a moment, then shook his head quickly. "Davis is okay… Physically anyway." He sighed heavily, not sure what he should or should not say. "A lot's happened since you've been in here, Bosco...A lot has changed. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Bosco nodded again. One thing he was starting to learn in here was patience. It was a particularly difficult lesson for him to learn, but when you didn't really have a choice you learned it, no matter how hard it might be.

"Davis and I...we're not together anymore," Sully began slowly. "He has a new partner, and I'm riding with Monroe."

Bosco looked back at Sully, surprise evident in his eyes. That was something he hadn't expected to hear. When Davis had first joined the force, Bosco had told him to get away from Sully, to get himself a new partner. He had scoffed at Sully's philosophy of 'solving problems.' He had thought it was absurd. He had been wrong though. Sully had trained Davis well. He had turned out to be a terrific cop. It was clear to see what a good partnership the two officers had, how close they were to each other. Bosco couldn't imagine what could have happened to cause a rift between then.

Sully could see that Bosco was confused, but it was too long and painful a story for Sully to try to explain. He didn't have the energy or desire to do so right now. "It's a long story, Bosco..." he said wearily. "Let's just say I've made some mistakes in the past and they're coming back to haunt me now."

Bosco knew all about mistakes. He'd certainly made enough of them in his lifetime. He could see that whatever was going on was affecting Sully deeply and that being the case, he was pretty sure it was affecting Davis just as much. He was frustrated that he couldn't really talk though, or get Sully to talk more, then maybe he'd be able to help him with this. He licked his lips and made another effort to speak. "You'll… work… it out..."

Sully nodded and tried to smile, but he couldn't quite manage to do so. It sounded simple, but he knew it was anything but. There was so much to sort through. A lot of bad things had happened...a lot had been said. He wasn't really sure that this could be worked out. He hoped that it could, but...right now he felt like he had lost his partner forever...and the thought was unbearable to him. "I hope you're right, Bosco..."

They sat in companionable silence for a short time, each man lost in his own thoughts. Finally Sully glanced down at his watch then over at Bosco who seemed to be struggling to stay awake. His eyelids looked about ready to close. "I'm going to get out of here now and let you get some rest," he said as he slowly got to his feet. "You take care of yourself and get yourself well. We miss you at the precinct, Bosco...we need you back there."

Bosco nodded, a trace of a smile on his lips. There was a time when he would have thought Sully would be glad to see him gone from the 55, but he now knew that wasn't the case. True, they would never be bosom buddies or anything, but there was a deep respect between them and he knew that Sully cared about him, just as he cared about Sully. "Hang in there, Sul..." He allowed his eyes to drift shut, physically unable to keep them open anymore. He did feel Sully's encouraging pat on his shoulder though and heard his words just as he was leaving the room.

"Thanks, Bosco. You hang in there, too. I'll be back to see you soon."


End file.
